Successful bid and founding
Australian rules football has been played in Tasmania since the 1860s and has long been the state's most popular spectator sport. A 2018 study of Internet traffic showed 79% of Tasmanians (424,459) were interested in it, the highest rate in the country, [8] which was, according to Roy Morgan, a figure higher than the number of supporters of around half of existing AFL clubs. [9]
The notion of a Tasmanian team in the VFL/AFL competition had long been suggested, with multiple formal propositions and bids since the 1980s. [10] Successive bids during expansion periods for the competition in the 1990's and late 2000's were spurned in favour of teams in Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney. In 2019 a government-appointed taskforce chaired by Brett Godfrey, with backing from the Tasmanian Government and at the advice of the AFL, [11] was set up to commission a business case for a team to be assessed by the league. By 2021 the state's premier, Peter Gutwein, refused to re-negotiate deals to extend Tasmanian-based AFL premiership matches for Victorian clubs Hawthorn and North Melbourne, without the AFL committing to a timetable for the introduction of a Tasmanian team. [12] [13] An independent review was subsequently overseen by former AFL Commissioner and Geelong Football Club president Colin Carter and was publicly released in mid-2021, which concluded a stand-alone Tasmanian side could be financially viable with the ongoing assistance of government and league funding. [14] [15]
In November 2022, amidst ongoing momentum and public interest throughout the year, an in-principle agreement was reached between the AFL and Tasmanian Government, under premier Jeremy Rockliff, on commercial terms for Tasmania's bid for a 19th licence, which would be awarded to a government-established entity known as the Tasmanian AFL Licence Taskforce. [16] The AFL and club presidents met on 2 May 2023 and provided unanimous support to award a licence to Tasmania. The following day, Chief Executive Gillon McLachlan formally announced the team's admission to the competition at North Hobart Oval, confirming the men's team will join the Australian Football League from the 2028 season. [17] [18] As of 2025, the starting season for a women's team to compete in the AFL Women's competition has not yet been confirmed.
Competitive debut and list concessions
On 5 September 2025, Tasmania was granted a licence to compete in the VFL and VFLW, starting in 2026. [19] Home games will be played in Hobart and Launceston, with the possibility of also playing games in Penguin. [20] Jeromey Webberley was appointed as the club's inaugural VFL coach, while former Essendon player Jye Menzie became the club's first player when he was signed on 30 September 2025. [21] [22]
In October 2025, the AFL announced the list and drafting concessions that Tasmania would be granted as part of its inclusion in the competition. The Devils were provided picks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and 13, and the first selection of each subsequent round in their first national draft, which is set to be in 2027. Four of those picks, specifically 5, 7, 11 and 13, come with the caveat they need to be used in trades with other clubs. In their second and third drafts, the Devils will be handed fixed picks 5 and 9 in both years, which are on top of the club's regular first-round selection, as well as the first selection in each subsequent round in addition to their natural draft hand. In both of those years, the pick 5 will have the caveat they must be traded. In addition the club received a $5 million sign-on bonus to sit outside the salary cap for the first two years in the competition, priority access to Tasmanian academy players and a flexible list size for the first five AFL seasons, allowing up to 48 players on the list until the fourth year before reverting to regular levels by the sixth season. [23]
